Flushing Symptom Checker
Does anyone have any great gift ideas for someone with vascular dementia (similar to Alzheimer’s)?
My mother has vascular dementia – the symptoms are similar to those of Alzheimer’s, except that the rate of progression of symptoms is different. My mother can no longer speak, and she is in a wheelchair. She does not/can not read anymore. She remembers things and ideas, but often gets them confused. For instance: she remembers how to play checkers, but often moves pieces of the wrong color during the game, or starts going the wrong direction. I read somewhere that items like a bag of buttons to sort are good ideas. However, she often flushes small items like that down the toilet. For many months she enjoyed coloring, but no longer takes an interest in it…I think she has too much difficulty with the fine motor skills.
I would appreciate any gift ideas anyone might have.
One of our writers at the Gilbert Guide, Ami Icanberry, just wrote a blog piece about gift ideas for those with dementia or Alzheimer’s. Here are some gifts from her her Top 5 lists that may be good for your mother. It sounds like your mother is in the mid- to later stages so I have only included those items. In the lists below many items are available at The Alzheimer’s Store, a company owned by Ageless Design, which provides “unique products and information for those caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease.”
Picks for Middle-Stage:
1. Conversation and Song (which are video tapes available from The Alzheimer’s Store)
2. Activity Apron (which is good for tactile stimulation–and is big enough not to get flushed)
3. Photograph albums (pleasant to flip through and can help with reminiscing)
Late-Stage Picks:
1. “Someone To Care For” Baby Doll from the Alzheimer’s Store
2. Garden Delights DVD from the Alzheimer’s Store
3. Photograph albums
4. Visits with animals (well-trained animal visitors can be quite soothing)
5. Hand and arm massage from a masseuse.
Hope a few of these ideas catch your eye, and are able to offer some level of peace, comfort and fun for your mom and you during this holiday season.
Gilbert Guide
